


Inessential

by SharkGirl



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alien Technology, Angst with a Happy Ending, Emergency Surgery (non-graphic), Gen, Gender-Neutral Pronouns for Pidge | Katie Holt, Hurt/Comfort, Insecurity, Langst, Light Angst, M/M, Major Character Injury, Pain, Sick Character, Stomach Ache, Vomiting (non-graphic)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-07
Updated: 2017-12-07
Packaged: 2019-02-11 20:52:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,088
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12943650
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SharkGirl/pseuds/SharkGirl
Summary: “Gotcha,” Lance breathed as he hit the target dead center. He wasn’t called their sharpshooter for nothing and he aimed to keep that title. He took another deep breath, closing one eye and lining up to hit the next target when a sharp, stabbing pain erupted in his gut, knocking the wind out of him and causing him to fire off to the side, missing it completely.





	Inessential

**Author's Note:**

> I thought of this a while ago and finally got around to writing it. This is Lance-centric and focuses on his relationships with the other paladins, especially Hunk and Keith. But everyone gets a mention.
> 
> This takes place post S4, but with a made up plot for S5 in the background (just an added detail) Feel free to ignore it, haha.
> 
> Beta'd by the fabulous Alex and Jes~ Betas Alpha and Dos! ♥ Love you guys!!

It all started when Lance found himself with a plate full of delicious-looking food and no appetite. Perhaps in the past, Lance might have pushed the plate away – considering the limited menu one could create with the unfamiliar ingredients of alien planets – but Hunk had worked his magic since then, perfecting dishes that not only smelled, but tasted just like home.

“Something wrong?” Hunk asked, catching Lance’s attention. “You haven’t touched your breakfast.”

Lance may not have looked like it, but he could pack it away, despite his lanky form – some referred to him a svelte, if you must know! – however, this morning…

“I’m fine,” he replied, though his stomach roiled at the prospect of consuming anything in front of him. Usually, he’d wolf it down in seconds, but he felt inexplicably queasy.

“If you’re sure…” Hunk’s brows drew together in concern, but he dropped the subject when Shiro and Allura walked into the room.

“Today’s training is extremely important,” Shiro said in his authoritative voice that meant business. Allura nodded beside him.

“We’ll be running several drills, Paladins,” she added. “This will take most of the day.”

Well, so much for Lance’s plans…

Pidge snorted from beside him. “Like you had any.”

Oops. He’d said that out loud.

“Guys, this is serious,” Keith growled. Lance would have said something snarky in response, but he was right. With Lotor undercover and working alongside the Blade, it was only a matter of time before Zarkon saw through his son’s ‘sudden change of heart.’

“We’ll be working on individual training this morning and then moving on to team drills after lunch,” Shiro informed them. “Let’s make today count.”

The group cheered and Lance raised his arm, but winced when a dull pain blossomed just above his navel. He frowned at the sudden ache, wondering what could have caused it.

“C’mon. Shiro’s waiting,” Pidge nudged him and Lance shook the thought. It was probably just a cramp. He’d make sure to stretch really well before training began. The last thing he wanted to do was slow the team down.

They were separated for most of the morning, either taking turns at hand-to-hand with the drones or working on their specialized skills. Lance spent the majority of his time in the shooting range. It was located on the far side of the training room and he was certain it hadn’t been there when they’d first arrived – magic, futuristic castles and all that – but it was his favorite place.

“Gotcha,” Lance breathed as he hit the target dead center. He wasn’t called their sharpshooter for nothing and he aimed to keep that title. It was the only way he could help his team and he wasn’t about to lose that. He took another deep breath, closing one eye and lining up to hit the next target when a sharp, stabbing pain erupted in his gut, knocking the wind out of him and causing him to fire off to the side, missing it completely.

“Whoa, watch it there, Hot Shot,” Hunk said from behind him.

Lance turned, sweat breaking out on his brow. “Huh?”

“Lunch break.” Hunk beamed at him and then frowned. “Are you feeling okay, buddy?” he asked, coming closer. “You look a little pale and…” Hunk’s gaze drifted over to the scorch mark on the far wall. “You almost never miss.”

“Oh.” Lance swallowed, his entire mouth tasting like pennies. “I’m okay.”

Hunk raised a brow. “Forgive me if I don’t believe you.” He sighed. “You’ve probably got the hunger sweats,” he said matter-of-factly. “I knew I should have made you eat breakfast this morning.”

“Ha, yeah.” Lance chuckled, ignoring the ache in his middle. “Blood sugar’s probably low.”

“Well, don’t you worry.” Hunk sidled over to him and wrapped an arm around his shoulders. “You’re going to love what I made for lunch.” He steered him toward the door and Lance let him. He was definitely feeling off. He deactivated his bayard and followed Hunk to the dining room.

Maybe eating something would make him feel better.

But the moment food was placed in front of him, Lance nearly gagged. It looked great. Perfect, even. But Lance couldn’t stand the sight of it. He placed a hand over his mouth and tried desperately to avoid breathing in the aroma.

“What’s with you?” Pidge asked, frowning up at him. “You’re usually done with yours and bribing me for some of mine by now.”

They weren’t wrong. Hunk had made Lance’s favorite concoction – it was sort of like grilled cheese with bacon, but blue and orange with spotted meat. Odd at first glance, but delicious.

“I’m just…still full from breakfast,” he lied, thankful that Hunk wasn’t around to hear. The other was helping Coran bring out their dessert, which Lance was dreading. His stomach lurched at the thought of it and his neck broke out in a cold sweat that began to trickle down his back.

“You ready for team building, Lance?” Shiro asked, pulling him from his thoughts. Lance’s stomach gave a dull, painful throb, but he managed a nod, plastering on a fake smile. “Good,” Shiro replied. “You, Keith, and Allura will be up first.”

Lance inwardly groaned, his belly tightening and threatening to claw its way up his throat and out of his mouth. He caught sight of Keith, his arms crossed over his chest and his gaze burning holes into the side of Lance’s head. They got along a lot better now that he was back with Team Voltron, but what Lance wouldn’t have given to work alongside Hunk and Pidge for this particular training.

“I’m looking forward to working with you, Lance,” Allura said, appearing just behind him and placing a hand on his shoulder. He turned to look at her and was greeted with a dazzling smile.

Well, maybe it wouldn’t be so bad, after all.

“Who’s ready for dessert?” Hunk called as he and Coran walked into the room carrying what appeared to be a giant pie of some kind.

Lance pressed a hand to his middle as another sharp pain ripped through him.

He just needed to fake his way through until afternoon training. Then he could do his thing, team-build, hit ‘em with the ol’ razzle dazzle, and then lie down on his bed and sleep off whatever this stomach thing was.

Of course, as with most things, it was easier said than done.

After lunch and some expert food dumping – specifically onto Pidge’s plate when they weren’t looking – Lance headed back to the training room with the others. Despite not eating anything for the entire day, his stomach felt full. In fact, if he didn’t know any better, he could have sworn it was sticking out a bit, stretching the black material just below his breastplate.

“Pidge and I worked hard on creating this simulation,” Allura said from just ahead of him. She was talking to Keith, though she did look back over her shoulder to see if Lance was listening.

Lance nodded and forced what he hoped was a flirtatious smile her way. “Can’t wait,” he gritted out and then bit down on his lower lip when she turned away. His stomach was killing him and he couldn’t figure out why. He wracked his brain, trying to think of what he could have eaten the day before.

 

“The exercise is simple,” Shiro said when they reached the room. He was standing behind the control panel next to Hunk and Pidge, while Allura and Keith were situated in the center of the room and Lance was stationed up high, his bayard already having taken on the form of a sniper rifle. “Keith and Allura will be rescuing prisoners while sentries try to stop them,” he said. “The goal is to get the prisoners to the other side of the room without any of them getting shot or being shot yourselves,” he instructed.

“And I’ll be providing cover,” Lance said before Shiro could get to him. “You got it.” He gave a small salute and then winced as another stab of pain shot through his abdomen, nearly causing him to double over. He needed to get over whatever this was. His team needed him. He couldn’t let them down.

“All right, if you’re all ready,” Shiro began and then turned toward Pidge, who pressed a few buttons. The lights lowered, giving the room the appearance of the inside of a Galra cruiser. Then several holograms appeared between Allura and Keith. They were different species of aliens all clad in the same prisoners’ garb the Galra forced them to wear. “Begin simulation,” Shiro said and, just like during hand-to-hand, several drones dropped down from the ceiling, though instead of swords, each was carrying a rifle.

Keith and Allura activated their bayards and began fighting them off, all while protecting the prisoners and inching their way toward the safe zone. Lance smirked, proud of how well his team was doing. But now it was his time to shine. He lifted his bayard and took aim, but when pressed his finger to the trigger, another sharp pain tore through him, making him miss the drone.

“Lance!” Keith’s voice sounded in his helmet. “Focus!”

Of course. Keith could be surrounded by ‘Galra sentries’ and be fighting for his life, and still manage to notice when Lance made a mistake.

“You keep your eye on the prisoners,” Lance shot back and then took a moment to compose himself. His stomach hurt so badly, worse than before. He raised his rifle again, trying to look through the scope, but every breath was painful.

“Lance, we could use your assistance!” Allura added breathlessly as she stepped in front of one of the prisoners and blocked a drone’s attack, sending the fake sentry flying.

“On it, Princess,” he called and then readjusted his grip. Pain or no, he needed to do this. Keith and Allura were only halfway to the goal and, with the way the drones kept materializing, they’d soon run out of stamina. Lance took another deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. He wasn’t even sure when he’d begun shaking. “Come on…” he whispered to himself and then took aim.

However, bile rose in the back of his throat and another excruciating throb in his gut caused him to miss, his stray blast hitting one of the prisoner holograms.

“Lance!” Keith shouted.

Lance broke out in a sweat, his entire body burning like it was on fire. What a stupid mistake! He’d killed one of the people they were trying to save! Sure, it was a simulation, but what if that had happened on the battlefield?

Distracted by the fallen prisoner, Allura was caught unawares, her feet swept out from under her by one of the training bots. Lance tried to take it out, but he was scared. What if he missed again? He was shaking so badly, he could barely hold his bayard.

Keith growled, slicing up two drones and moving to help Allura, but in doing so, he left himself wide open. The bots rushed in, knocking him onto his back and reclaiming the prisoners.

“End simulation!” Shiro called and everything dematerialized, leaving Keith and Allura alone and panting on the floor.

Lance wanted to check on them, to make sure they were okay, but his stomach lurched, roiling violently. He dashed out of the training room and toward the bathrooms. He barely made it past the showers before he keeled over, throwing up all over the tiled floor.

Everything hurt. He could barely breathe as tears streamed down his face. But he heard someone calling for him and he couldn’t just abandon his team, worthless as he felt. Honestly, how could he call himself a paladin, when he couldn’t even keep it together for one training exercise?

“Lance!” It was Keith.

“C-Coming!” he shouted back, ignoring the way his throat burned. Promising himself that he’d clean up his mess later, Lance shakily got to his feet and walked toward the door, only stumbling twice on his way.

He was barely into the hallway before Keith was on him, grabbing the front of his armor and shoving him up against the wall. “What the hell was that?” he spat, face red and brows drawn down in anger. “You shot one of the prisoners and left us for dead!”

“I know,” Lance croaked. “I’m sor-”

“You’ve been acting weird all day,” Keith went on, releasing him and taking a step back. “Anyway…” he took a deep breath, obviously trying to calm himself. Lance would have appreciated the effort, if it didn’t feel like his insides were being torn apart.

He suddenly remembered that scene from Alien and wondered if that was going to happen to him. He certainly didn’t remember any facehuggers leaping out at him during their last mission, but the horrible pain was pretty hard to ignore.

“Lance?” Keith said, frowning at him. “I said Allura is waiting for us. Shiro, Hunk, and Pidge are up next,” he said, though Lance barely heard him. “Hey.” He reached out for him, but Lance pushed his arm away before falling to his knees and retching again. “Lance! Hey!” Keith’s voice was closer, but Lance couldn’t see him. His vision was swimming.

“Ke…” he tried, but then coughed again. His stomach… It hurt so badly. Darkness began closing in and the last thing he heard was Keith shouting for help. Then he passed out.

 

Lance drifted in and out of consciousness. He was vaguely aware of someone carrying him and then setting him down on a table, the cool metal feeling almost frigid against his hot skin.

“He’s burning up!” That sounded like Pidge.

“What happened?” Shiro demanded.

“I don’t know!” That was Keith. “I went after him and he just-”

“Will he be all right?” Allura asked and Lance would have smiled at her concern, if he didn’t feel like he was dying. He resisted the urge to look down, afraid an alien worm baby might be sticking out of his abdomen.

“Hey, buddy,” Hunk’s voice was amazingly close, his large hand gripping Lance’s. “I know you don’t feel good.” That was an understatement. “But I need you to tell me what hurts.”

“I can try and run a scan,” Coran suggested. “Is it safe to move him?”

“I don’t know,” Hunk answered, voice sounding farther away, but then it was close again. “Lance, where does it hurt?”

“M…M-My…” Lance lifted up a shaky hand and pressed it to his gut, gritting his teeth. “Hurts…”

“I know.” Hunk gave his other hand a squeeze. “We’re going to make you feel better, okay?” He sounded earnest and Lance wanted to believe him. But he was hurting so badly. It felt like he’d never not be in pain again.

“Let’s run the scan,” Hunk said and there was a flurry of motion. Lance closed his eyes and let himself be moved to another table. Things were beeping and lights were flashing, but he ignored them. He just wanted to go to sleep, so he wouldn’t hurt anymore.

“There’s inflammation here,” Coran said over the beeping.

“What’s wrong with him?!” It was Keith again, his voice higher than usual.

“Holy crow…” Hunk gasped. “His appendix burst!”

And then Lance lost consciousness again.

 

When Lance awoke, it was to the soft ‘hiss’ of a healing pod opening. He stumbled forward as the familiar tingle of blood returning to his frozen limbs spread over him. He quickly found himself pressed against a broad chest, strong arms wrapped tightly around him.

“You’re awake!” Hunk cheered, giving him another squeeze before letting him go. “You scared the heck out of us, man.”

Lance blinked, staring into the yellow fabric of Hunk’s shirt before pulling back and meeting his gaze. Hunk was smiling bright and wide and Lance felt his own lips curl up to match. “Sorry,” he managed, voice rough from cryogenic sleep. “What happened?”

“You had an awful case of appendicitis,” Hunk answered. “Ruptured and everything.”

“Gave us quite the scare,” Coran added, walking into the room with a blanket, which he quickly put over Lance’s shoulders. “Here.” He handed him a packet of space juice. “The pod fixed you up, but you need to hydrate.”

“Thanks.” Lance nodded before bringing the straw to his lips. He downed the liquid in a few quick slurps before pulling back with a satisfied sigh. “Much better.” Then he turned toward Hunk. “So…appendicitis?”

“Yeah,” he said. “Really bad, too. Like you’d been ignoring the warning signs…all day,” he finished, raising a thick eyebrow suspiciously.

Lance ducked his head. He hadn’t meant to hide it from his team. Well, that was a lie. He had totally meant to keep it from them, but he just didn’t know exactly what _it_ was.

“You’re lucky to be alive,” Pidge’s voice cut through the tension like a hot knife through butter. They walked over, adjusting their glasses as they gave Lance a once over. “Welcome back, by the way,” they added with a quirk of their lips.

“Yes, very lucky, indeed!” Coran agreed. “I’ll spare you the specifics, but there was quite a mess inside you.” He nodded, stroking his mustache. “Though, one thing I find peculiar is the fact that you humans have an organ that can be completely removed and you’ll go on living just fine without it. Seems inefficient to me.”

Hunk chuckled. “You should have seen Coran,” he said with another snicker. “He was ready to try and wormhole us to Earth so we could find a donor for you.” He smiled.

“Of course, it was then that Hunk deemed it appropriate to inform me that the appendix serves no function.” He sighed. “Completely inessential.”

Lance looked over at the older Altean, warmth blossoming in his chest. He’d been worried about him. They all had, actually, from what he could remember. He certainly never wanted to go through something like that again, but it felt good that they cared.

“Stop making that face.” Pidge elbowed him gently. “It’s gross.”

Lance just laughed. “My bad.”

“Besides, Coran,” Pidge continued, facing him, “The appendix is only part of an organ. And it _did_ serve a function,” they explained. “It’s just that we’ve evolved beyond needing it.”

“And yet it remains,” Coran mused. “Fascinating.”

“Anyway.” Lance cleared his throat. “As much as I would love to hear the three of you go on about human anatomy-”

“Physiology,” Pidge corrected.

“Right.” He snorted. “But, um…I’m kind of hungry.”

“That’s right!” Hunk pressed his hands to the side of his face. “You haven’t eaten at all today!” He stepped forward, lifting one of Lance’s arms over his shoulder, and began half-escorting, half-carrying him out of the medical bay. But Hunk stopped just as they reached the doors. “He’s clear to go, right?”

“Should be,” Pidge answered. “But even with the pod expediting the healing process, he should probably stick to food goo for now.”

Lance groaned, but his stomach gurgled at the promise of sustenance – no matter the variety – so he just nodded in understanding and let Hunk lead him to the dining room.

“Pidge only said food goo because it’s gentle on the stomach,” Hunk whispered as they approached the doors. “But I’ll see if I can whip you up some porridge or something a little more…appetizing.” He sat Lance down at the table with a wink and then disappeared into the kitchen.

Man, did Lance ever love that big angel of a man.

But, as he sat, his mind wandered. He’d put his team at risk. Sure, it had only been a simulation, but he’d let them down. He was good at one thing and he couldn’t even do that right. Couldn’t even tell when a part of his own body was going to turn on him. They were probably so disappointed in him.

Someone cleared their throat and Lance turned to see Shiro and Allura standing in the doorway.

Sheepishly, Lance lifted a hand and waved at them. “Hey, guys.”

“We were just heading to the pods to check on you, but Pidge and Coran told us you were here,” Shiro said, still looking a little wary. “How are you feeling?”

“Much better,” Lance answered. “Of course, I felt like I was being ripped in half before, so…” He snorted, but his laughter petered out when he noticed the looks on the others’ faces. “I’m fine now.”

“That’s good to hear.” Allura smiled softly at him. “I must admit, I was extremely concerned.”

“Aww.” Lance pushed his hair back and grinned at her. “Were you worried about me?”

“We all were,” Shiro replied, causing Lance’s cheeks to heat up. Then the older man gave him a fond little smile. “What would we do without our sharpshooter?”

Now, Lance could have died right then and there – though that would have been counterproductive and a waste, considering all Coran, Hunk, and Pidge’s hard work at keeping him alive – but, wow, that was some real praise from Shiro. Of course, at the mention of his title, Lanced was reminded once again about his poor performance during their training.

“Allura,” he said, catching her attention. “I wanted to apologize.”

“Whatever for?” She blinked in surprise. “You can’t mean your illness? Pidge informed us that you couldn’t have known-”

“No, no,” he interrupted, shaking his head. “About the simulation.” He sighed. “I wasn’t feeling so hot and if that had been a real mission…”

“Thankfully, it wasn’t,” Shiro said, placing a hand on Lance’s shoulder and giving it a squeeze. “But from now on, if you’re feeling less than your best, just let us know, okay?” He removed his hand and took a seat beside him. “I know we stressed how critical this exercise was. But nothing is more important than the well-being of our team members.”

“Exactly right,” Allura agreed, sitting on his other side. “We’re so glad you’re better, Lance.”

Lance was in heaven. Praise from Shiro? Acknowledgement from Allura? And Hunk was busy making him something delicious in the kitchen? This was the life.

But his thoughts strayed to the one member of their team whom he hadn’t seen since he’d woken up. “Where’s Keith?” he asked before he could stop himself.

“Ah.” Shiro ran a hand through his hair. “I think he’s still on the training deck.”

Lance nodded and lowered his gaze. “Probably trying to make up for the time I cost him earlier, huh?” But before either Shiro or Allura could answer, Hunk reappeared with a tray of food fit for a king. Well, fit for a king who’d recently gotten out of surgery, anyway.

“All right, you two.” He shooed both Allura and Shiro away. “Let him eat in peace. He needs to regain his strength.”

“Very well.” Allura chuckled and then turned toward Lance. “Please get some rest after this,” she instructed. “We’ll revisit training at a later date.”

“But what if-” Lance began, a million scenarios running through his mind. They could, in theory, form Voltron without him, but still.

“We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it,” Shiro answered. “For now, I don’t want you setting foot in the training room until Coran and Pidge give us the all clear.”

“Yes, Sir.” Lance sighed.

“That’s a good man.” Shiro pat his back and then walked with Allura out of the room.

“Okay,” Hunk began. “No excuses, this time. You’d better eat it all.” He sat across from Lance, clearly intent on watching him until he’d cleaned his plate.

Not wanting to disappoint, Lance grabbed a spork and picked up a healthy scoop of the porridge. It smelled good and he was eternally grateful when his stomach only growled in anticipation, rather than twisting painfully like earlier.

He thought he’d have to fake it, put on a little show of how good everything was – Hunk had worked so hard, after all! – but Lance found that, after his first bite, he couldn’t stop. In fact, he was scraping the bottom of the plate before he knew it.

“Good?” Hunk asked with a knowing smirk.

“The best I’ve ever had,” Lance replied, only half-joking.

“Think you can handle some more?” he offered and Lance shook his head.

“I’m stuffed.”

Hunk nodded and began clearing the table, but he stopped when Lance gave a little cough. “Yeah?”

“Keith.” He wasn’t sure where he was going with that. It wasn’t like he’d expected the other to be at his bedside – or podside, as it were – when he woke up or anything. But it was odd that everyone had come to check on him except for the red paladin.

“You’re right,” Hunk said thoughtfully. “He probably hasn’t eaten either.”

Lance pulled back, furrowing his brow. “That’s not what I-”

“If you’re up to it, would you mind bringing him some leftovers from dinner?” Hunk cut him off, a knowing smile on his lips. “I think he’d really appreciate it.”

Now, Lance’s mother had raised no dummy. He picked up on something in Hunk’s tone and demeanor. He wasn’t sure what that something was, but he figured the best way to find out was to go along with his best friend’s suggestion.

“Sure,” he replied.

“Good. I’ll go get it.” Hunk flashed another wide grin before scurrying off to the kitchen to grab Keith’s dinner.

Meanwhile, it only hit Lance then that he’d been out for several hours, at least. The pods certainly expedited his recovery, but he’d lost a pretty big chunk of the day. He really needed to stop doing that. Especially when Zarkon could strike at any moment.

“Got it,” Hunk said cheerfully as he returned with some food packaged in what they’d all fondly dubbed Space Tupperware. “You sure you can make it on your own?” he asked, worry creasing his brow.

Lance stood up and stretched out one leg, then the other. And when he felt only a dull ache in his middle – no worse than a small bruise – he figured he’d be fine. “Yup. Now, hand it over.”

Hunk smiled again and passed him the container. “Tell him I said ‘hi’,” he added as Lance made his way out of the dining room. He was tempted to ask Hunk why he didn’t just come along with him, but he figured there must have been a reason.

Suddenly, it hit him. Maybe Keith had wanted to speak with him alone. To continue their conversation from earlier. Sure, Shiro and Allura had forgiven him for keeping his ailment a secret, but Keith was probably still mad. He was a stewer and, considering the amount of time Lance had been in healing stasis, Keith was probably about ready to blow.

It was no wonder that Keith had been in the training room the whole time. He was probably taking his anger out on some drones even now as Lance padded down the hall in his lion slippers. Speaking of which, had Hunk brought him those? That guy…

When Lance reached the door to the training room, he hesitated before passing his hand over the pad beside it, releasing the lock. The doors slid open with a nearly silenct ‘swoosh’ and he stepped inside, vaguely recollecting Shiro’s order not to enter. But it wasn’t like he was going to start doing calisthenics or anything.

The loud clang of metal on metal echoed in the nearly empty room and it drew Lance’s attention toward the floor. There was Keith, clad in sweatpants and a tank top, fighting against three training drones. He easily sliced through two of them, but the third evaded his attack. With a grunt, Keith sped forward and knocked it to the ground. He held it down, pressing his knee into its chest, and then chopped its head off.

Unconsciously, Lance brought a hand up to his own neck and swallowed hard.

Well, it was now or never.

“Hey, man,” he called, embarrassed by the way his voice cracked a bit at the end.

Keith turned toward him, his dark eyes going wide. “End simulation,” he ordered, his gaze still on Lance. Then he stood up, his steps getting quicker as he approached. He was practically running toward him and Lance braced himself for the impact. But Keith slowed at the last minute until he was awkwardly standing an arm’s length away. He looked down. “Hey.”

Okay…

“Yeah.” Lance cleared his throat.

“You’re, uh…feeling better?” Keith asked, looking up at him through his bangs.

“Oh. Yeah. Much.” Lance chewed on his bottom lip and then remembered the food in his hands. “Hunk said you might be hungry.” He held the container forward. “Something about skipping dinner?”

“Ah…I guess I did miss it,” Keith said, making no move to take the offering. “And you’re…feeling better?”

Wow, was Keith ever bad at this. But at least he wasn’t screaming at him or throwing punches, so Lance figured that counted for something.

“Yeah,” Lance chuckled. “How are _you_ feeling?”

Keith snapped his head up, his cheeks flushing bright pink. “I…already asked that, huh?”

“You did.” Lance relaxed. It seemed like Keith wasn’t upset with him, after all. Either that or he was a really good actor. And…yeah, no. It was probably for the best he’d missed out on The Voltron Show.

They stood there in silence for a moment.

“I’m sorry-” they said in unison and then both pulled back, blinking in confusion.

“What?” Lance asked, raising his brows.

“I’m sorry,” Keith repeated.

“No, I heard you. I just…” He shook his head. “Why are _you_ sorry?”

“Because I yelled at you and pushed you up against a wall and you were…” Keith trailed off. “I should have paid better attention. It was obvious that you were sick.”

Lance stared at him, his mouth forming a perfect little ‘o.’ Then he recovered. “It wasn’t that obvious,” he argued. “I didn’t realize.”

“Yeah.” Keith gave a subdued little laugh. “Pidge said you probably thought you had really bad gas or something.”

“Aww, real nice.” Lance rolled his eyes. Thanks a lot, Pidge. But then he changed the subject. “Anyway, I should be the one apologizing,” he said. “I’m the idiot who messed up the simulation.”

“Because you were sick,” Keith countered.

“But I should have told everyone-”

“So, tell us next time.” Keith sighed. “Lance, you’re not going to win this argument.”

At that, Lance shoved the container of food into Keith’s hands and then crossed his arms over his chest. “You just have to win at everything, don’t you?” He made a show of pouting and then glanced over at the training deck. “So, you’ve been in here the whole time?”

“Since we kicked him out of the operating room? Yeah,” Pidge answered for him, walking into the room and carrying what looked to be a tube of toothpaste. They smirked, their gaze darting over to Keith. And Lance turned just in time to see the other’s face redden.

And it was then that Lance put the pieces together. Keith really had spent the entire time in the training room. Frustrated? Yes. Upset? Yes. But he wasn’t mad at Lance. He was…

“Worried about me?” Lance said the last part out loud, hardly believing it.

“You threw up and passed out on the floor!” Keith held an arm out, balancing the container in the other. “Of _course_ I was worried about you! No one knew what was wrong…” he trailed off, his face bright red.

Then again, Lance’s own face felt pretty hot, too.

“Aww, you two are cute,” Pidge snickered.

“Yeah. Yeah.” Lance gave a little cough. “So, were you looking for us or…?”

“Yes, actually.” Pidge held up the small tube. “Coran found a salve that should speed up the healing process and keep your scar from feeling tight.”

Lance hadn’t given it any thought, but he supposed, after having emergency surgery, he _would_ have a new little souvenir. And maybe it was because he was thinking about it, but suddenly, the skin around his incision began to itch.

“Thanks, Pidgey,” he said, taking the tube from their hands. “How often do I-”

“Twice a day and as needed,” they quoted. “Coran offered to help apply it, but I told him we had it covered.” They laughed.

“Thank you for that,” Lance joined in. “Though, I wouldn’t mind some assistance,” he joked.

“I’ll do it,” Keith said quickly, catching both their attention. They turned to face him and Lance knew his cheeks were burning just as bright as Keith’s. “Unless… Oh. Yeah. You weren’t being serious, so…” Keith swallowed, suddenly very interested in his shoes.

“It might be easier to have someone else apply it the first few times,” Pidge mused. “I’m sure that, even after being in the pods, the spot is still a little tender.”

As usual, they weren’t wrong. But the idea of Keith rubbing space ointment on him…with his shirt off…well… Actually, that didn’t sound too bad. Lance cleared his throat.

“Well, since it was kind of Keith’s fault,” Lance began, looking anywhere but at the man in question. “I _guess_ I could let him help me out. Just this once.”

Keith was staring at him. He could practically feel his eyes drilling into him.

“Yup. It’s settled,” Lance continued with false bravado. “I generously accept your offer.” He finally met Keith’s gaze again. “If it still stands.”

“It does,” he replied, cheeks pink.

“I take it back,” Pidge said then. “You guys are gross.”

“There you are,” Shiro interrupted. He was standing in the doorway with his arms crossed over his chest. “Lance, you’re supposed to be resting,” he sighed.

“Sorry. That was my fault.” Hunk appeared beside him, raising his hand. “I asked Lance to bring Keith dinner.”

“What’s all this?” Coran joined the group. “We’re not having a training session are we?”

“Not this late in the night cycle,” Allura replied, mirroring Shiro’s authoritative stance. “ _Lance_ may be excused, but the rest of you have early training in less than six vargas.”

“You heard the princess,” Coran said. “Off to bed with you!”

Pidge grumbled something under their breath as they followed Coran and Hunk out of the room.

“Keith,” Shiro said, looking pointedly at the training deck before he glanced back over.

“I’m done,” he promised. “You and Allura can turn in. I’ll just clean up in here and then walk Lance to his room.”

If Shiro had been taken by surprise, he didn’t show it. He just nodded. “Good. But be quick about it. I expect you to be at your best for tomorrow’s training.” He gave Keith one last look before he turned toward Lance and smiled. “Make sure he doesn’t start another simulation.”

Keith baulked from beside him, but Lance just returned Shiro’s smile and gave a salute. “You got it, Sir.”

“Goodnight, Lance. Keith.” Allura grinned and then led Shiro out of the room, leaving them alone.

“So…” Lance began as Keith started tidying up. “You’re really going to escort me?”

“Well, yeah,” Keith answered. “I promised to help you with the salve.”

Lance’s cheeks heated. “Oh. Yeah.” He chewed on his bottom lip. A lot had happened in the last twenty-four hours. Mostly bad, he’d admit. But he felt closer to his team now than he ever had. Especially Keith, of all people. “Thanks,” he managed sheepishly.

“You’re welcome,” Keith said softly. Well, softly for Keith, anyway. “And, uh…I really am sorry. For earlier.”

“Well, the way I see it,” Lance said, circling him and ticking off on his fingers. “It wasn’t your fault, you were so worried about me that they had to kick you out of the room,” he snickered at Keith’s scowl, “and you cradled me in your arms. Again. So-”

“Wait,” Keith interrupted. “You said again.”

“Hmm, what?” Lance blinked, already walking toward the door. “Did you say something?”

“ _Lance…_ ” Keith growled.

“Hurry up! My scar isn’t going to rub itself,” Lance called over his shoulder as he entered the hallway. The telltale sound of stomping feet echoed just behind him and he stifled a laugh.

Yeah, he may have had a hell of a day, but things were somehow better because of it. And if it took him nearly dying to get there, well…in the grand scheme of things, maybe that wasn’t all that bad.

His team cared about him. Needed him. And, for the first time in a while, he felt essential.

**Author's Note:**

> Heehee. All the warm and fuzzies for my boy~
> 
> Let me know what you think and hit me up on my Voltron sideblog [@bleucheesy](http://bleucheesy.tumblr.com)!


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